Katie Brown
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- January 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781786942197
- eISBN:
- 9781789623932
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Liverpool University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3828/liverpool/9781786942197.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, American, 19th Century Literature
In contrast to recent theories of the ‘global’ or ‘post-national’ Latin American novel, this book reveals the enduring importance of the national in contemporary Venezuelan fiction, arguing that the ...
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In contrast to recent theories of the ‘global’ or ‘post-national’ Latin American novel, this book reveals the enduring importance of the national in contemporary Venezuelan fiction, arguing that the novels studied respond to both the nationalist and populist cultural policies of the Bolivarian Revolution and Venezuela’s literary isolation. The latter results from factors including the legacy of the Boom and historically low levels of emigration from Venezuela. Grounded in theories of metafiction and intertextuality, the book provides a close reading of eight novels published between 2004 (the year in which the first Minister for Culture was appointed) and 2012 (the last full year of President Chávez’s life), relating these novels to the context of their production. Each chapter explores a way in which these novels reflect on writing, from the protagonists as readers and writers in different contexts, through appearances from real life writers, to experiments with style and popular culture, and finally questioning the boundaries between fiction and reality. This literary analysis complements overarching studies of the Bolivarian Revolution by offering an insight into how Bolivarian policies and practices affect people on an individual, emotional and creative level. In this context, self-reflexive narratives afford their writers a form of political agency.Less
In contrast to recent theories of the ‘global’ or ‘post-national’ Latin American novel, this book reveals the enduring importance of the national in contemporary Venezuelan fiction, arguing that the novels studied respond to both the nationalist and populist cultural policies of the Bolivarian Revolution and Venezuela’s literary isolation. The latter results from factors including the legacy of the Boom and historically low levels of emigration from Venezuela. Grounded in theories of metafiction and intertextuality, the book provides a close reading of eight novels published between 2004 (the year in which the first Minister for Culture was appointed) and 2012 (the last full year of President Chávez’s life), relating these novels to the context of their production. Each chapter explores a way in which these novels reflect on writing, from the protagonists as readers and writers in different contexts, through appearances from real life writers, to experiments with style and popular culture, and finally questioning the boundaries between fiction and reality. This literary analysis complements overarching studies of the Bolivarian Revolution by offering an insight into how Bolivarian policies and practices affect people on an individual, emotional and creative level. In this context, self-reflexive narratives afford their writers a form of political agency.
Jeffrey Einboden
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- September 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780748645640
- eISBN:
- 9780748689132
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748645640.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, American, 19th Century Literature
Reading the early American canon through its Middle Eastern translations, Nineteenth-Century US Literature in Middle Eastern Languages examines prominent renditions of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, ...
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Reading the early American canon through its Middle Eastern translations, Nineteenth-Century US Literature in Middle Eastern Languages examines prominent renditions of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Washington Irving, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville and Walt Whitman into Hebrew, Persian and Arabic. Tracing the revisionary processes which give rise to these Middle Eastern versions, the book argues that such translations offer unique and pivotal interpretations of their US sources, refiguring the American Renaissance through alterities of language, nationality and religion. The book suggests, in particular, that the importation of the US canon into arenas of Middle Eastern language serves to uncover implications latent within these American classics themselves, disclosing their compound cultural genealogies, while also promoting their complex participation within global cycles of textual transmission. Recovering Hebrew, Arabic and Persian renditions produced by seminal Middle Eastern artists and academics, the book also exposes illuminating readings of US literature previously neglected, accounting for the interpretations of prominent translators, novelists and scholars, such as Joseph Massel, Sīmīn Dāneshvar and Iḥsān ‘Abbās.Less
Reading the early American canon through its Middle Eastern translations, Nineteenth-Century US Literature in Middle Eastern Languages examines prominent renditions of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Washington Irving, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville and Walt Whitman into Hebrew, Persian and Arabic. Tracing the revisionary processes which give rise to these Middle Eastern versions, the book argues that such translations offer unique and pivotal interpretations of their US sources, refiguring the American Renaissance through alterities of language, nationality and religion. The book suggests, in particular, that the importation of the US canon into arenas of Middle Eastern language serves to uncover implications latent within these American classics themselves, disclosing their compound cultural genealogies, while also promoting their complex participation within global cycles of textual transmission. Recovering Hebrew, Arabic and Persian renditions produced by seminal Middle Eastern artists and academics, the book also exposes illuminating readings of US literature previously neglected, accounting for the interpretations of prominent translators, novelists and scholars, such as Joseph Massel, Sīmīn Dāneshvar and Iḥsān ‘Abbās.
Katie Brown
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- January 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781786942197
- eISBN:
- 9781789623932
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Liverpool University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3828/liverpool/9781786942197.003.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, American, 19th Century Literature
The introduction posits the enduring importance of the national in Venezuelan literature, in contrast to recent theories of ‘global’ Latin American literature. It argues that factors including the ...
More
The introduction posits the enduring importance of the national in Venezuelan literature, in contrast to recent theories of ‘global’ Latin American literature. It argues that factors including the absence of Venezuela from the ‘Boom’ and low levels of migration from Venezuela until the 21st century have limited the opportunities for the global circulation of Venezuelan literature, thereby making national markets and the cultural policy of the Bolivarian Revolution more significant. This cultural policy is then outlined, as well as recent developments in national publishing outside the state system. The introduction also includes an overview of the eight novels and authors to be studied, as well as a summary of relevant theories of metafiction, autofiction and intertextuality in relation to these texts.Less
The introduction posits the enduring importance of the national in Venezuelan literature, in contrast to recent theories of ‘global’ Latin American literature. It argues that factors including the absence of Venezuela from the ‘Boom’ and low levels of migration from Venezuela until the 21st century have limited the opportunities for the global circulation of Venezuelan literature, thereby making national markets and the cultural policy of the Bolivarian Revolution more significant. This cultural policy is then outlined, as well as recent developments in national publishing outside the state system. The introduction also includes an overview of the eight novels and authors to be studied, as well as a summary of relevant theories of metafiction, autofiction and intertextuality in relation to these texts.
Katie Brown
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- January 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781786942197
- eISBN:
- 9781789623932
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Liverpool University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3828/liverpool/9781786942197.003.0008
- Subject:
- Literature, American, 19th Century Literature
The conclusion summarizes the findings of the study and reiterates how this research is in dialogue with previous studies of the Bolivarian Revolution. It stresses the enduring importance of the ...
More
The conclusion summarizes the findings of the study and reiterates how this research is in dialogue with previous studies of the Bolivarian Revolution. It stresses the enduring importance of the national – both Bolivarian cultural policy and Venezuela’s absence from international literary circuits – on the form and content of contemporary fiction. This book concludes that self-reflexivity gives these novels agency, allowing their authors to explore and challenge the ideas about literary value found in Bolivarian cultural policy. This research therefore contributes to scholarly discussion about the uses of metafiction and intertextuality in contemporary literature. The conclusion also reiterates that these novels deserve international scholarly attention, a first step towards rectifying the lack of contemporary Venezuelan narrative in Latin American Studies.Less
The conclusion summarizes the findings of the study and reiterates how this research is in dialogue with previous studies of the Bolivarian Revolution. It stresses the enduring importance of the national – both Bolivarian cultural policy and Venezuela’s absence from international literary circuits – on the form and content of contemporary fiction. This book concludes that self-reflexivity gives these novels agency, allowing their authors to explore and challenge the ideas about literary value found in Bolivarian cultural policy. This research therefore contributes to scholarly discussion about the uses of metafiction and intertextuality in contemporary literature. The conclusion also reiterates that these novels deserve international scholarly attention, a first step towards rectifying the lack of contemporary Venezuelan narrative in Latin American Studies.